The Face of Facebook

Test: COMtalk: It might be an understatement to say Facebook has had some negative press lately. How do you answer difficult questions while still upholding a positive reputation?

Anthony Harrison: Number one is engaging directly, not hiding behind canned statements, not hiding behind agencies to speak for us. And engaging with the media when things aren’t going bad. We’re helping them understand our business because our business is evolving. If they understand how complex our business is, how it continues to evolve and change, they can understand how sometimes things can go wrong. We have tried to be accountable in terms of admitting where we’ve made mistakes, admitting what we’re trying to do to fix those mistakes, being transparent about what went wrong, and what we’re doing to make sure that it doesn’t go wrong again. But it’s important to remember that this is all uncharted territory. Mark [Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO] often says he never imagined that this company that he created in his dorm room would be accused of undermining democracy.

Test: How does Facebook balance the goal of providing users with meaningful interactions while also driving ad revenue?

If people feel positive about the platform, then they’re spending more time, they’re more engaged and they’re a more prime audience for advertisers. We’ve seen tremendous success with small and medium businesses that are able to cost-effectively reach audiences that they would not be able to target through traditional advertising methods. The positive economic impact for those businesses is really powerful. Those are the kinds of stories that sort of get lost in the bigger media landscape.

Test: Facebook began as a tech company, but lately it’s also been recognized as a media company. What’s your opinion, and how do you communicate Facebook’s true identity?

We are a platform where people gather and share information—a modern version of the town square where you go to hear what other people think, know, understand. We are really defined by our users and how they gather information, how they share information, so it’s really more about how our users see us than how we see ourselves. We see ourselves as a social network, and our purpose is to connect people and organizations with other people and organizations because, for the most part, we believe that good things come from that.

Test: We know that changes in social media and the tech industry are inevitable, and fast-approaching. How do you see Facebook fitting into that future?

We will continue to be a place where people virtually or literally come together to share information, to share the ups and downs of life, to exchange a variety of things whether it’s actual goods through Marketplace, whether it’s memories through stories, whether it’s help through donations. But it’ll be that network where people come to feel connected in a world where it can be easy to feel disconnected sometimes.

Test: What’s it like being a spokesperson for a product that serves two billion people?

It scares me sometimes. I’ve certainly represented some major companies and brands but nothing on this sort of global scale. But I think there is a consistency in terms of how all the communications teams globally face problems, address problems and speak on behalf of the company. There’s a certain amount of humbleness that you have to have, and to not think about those two billion people but just think about what’s the right thing to do as a communications professional.

Test: How did your education prepare you for all of the changes in communications?

What has served me well is a natural curiosity to learn new things and try new things. I think if you talk to anyone who’s been in communications as long as I have, it really is about adapting, because the field is so dramatically different today than what it was when I graduated. This is so sad to say, but laptops weren’t even around. For me, it’s been being curious, trying to stay fresh, looking for opportunities to push myself—and being paranoid about becoming a dinosaur.

Test: What fundamentals haven’t changed?

Storytelling. Being able to tell a compelling story, being able to identify who your target audience is, because whether you’re using social media, traditional media or whatever the next thing is, it’s ultimately about a story that connects people with your clients, your product, your cause.

Test: Given the uncertainty of what lies ahead, what should students and young professionals be doing to stay relevant and up to speed in the industry?

They should be accessing information in a variety of ways. They should access points of view that are different from theirs. Don’t just stay in your bubble or your cocoon. Hear what other people are saying or talking about because that gives you a more rounded view of the world. Be an information junkie.

Test: Has there been a media relations campaign that’s been the most memorable for you?

I’m most proud to have worked on the annual diversity report. We were able to look at trends over five years and to really tell a story beyond just the numbers. That effort was super-exciting and satisfying, particularly as a gay man of color to be working for a company where diversity and inclusion are so important. To start to change that narrative from a focus on the numbers to a focus on programs and activities—to positively change the number feels like a baby step toward changing that bigger narrative.

Test: Is the world a better place because of Facebook?

I think the world is a better place because things like Facebook allow people to connect or reconnect with people in their lives who may not live around the corner or down the street. I’m part of a Facebook group of kids that I went to grammar school with. We haven’t been together as a group in many years, but we’re able to keep up with each other’s lives, and share in each other’s joys and sorrows together because of Facebook. People are able to connect with people in other parts of the world for help, for services, for advice, for any number of things, that they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. People have raised millions of dollars for nonprofits with birthday fundraisers. We’ve been able to help people gather and help people in disaster relief.